


Playing Pretend

by georgia



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-22
Updated: 2013-05-22
Packaged: 2017-12-12 16:36:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/813683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgia/pseuds/georgia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knows the story of Larry Stylinson, but what about the fake girlfriend?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing Pretend

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fan fiction. I like writing, and they say write what you know, and I know A LOT about One Direction, so why not a fic. Please note this is not entirely a Larry fic, only switching to Louis or Harry's PoV every now and then, but about Aurora and how she deals with being the "beard" of one of the most sought after men in the world.

“Why, hello Ms. Martin. Please, have a seat.”

The office was bare except for a single chair in front of a large desk. A wirey man wearing an Italian suit stood as Rory entered, motioning towards the seat. She hesitated, but sat.  
The man followed.

“We are very glad you could make it, Ms. Martin Would you like some water?” The suited man flashed a toothy grin, showing off his rather sharp teeth. Rory shook her head.  
“Are you sure? Alright. Well, I bet you are wondering why I have asked you to come here.”

Rory nodded.

“Well, I have been in need of an actress for a while now. After much consideration, we feel you may be the perfect fit for a role we have been having trouble casting."

Rory pursed her lips, unsure of where the conversation was going. The man adjusted his dark sunglasses.

“Now, you have been out of work for a while now, am I right?”

Reluctantly, Rory nodded.

“Well, not anymore! You see, this job should last you for a while, if all goes well. You’re, well, cast mate would need to behave. But one look at you, and I bet he’d change his mind about the situation. He likes girls, too, right Mike?”

Rory turned to see a large man standing in the corner. He, too, was wearing dark sunglasses and an Italian suit. She hadn’t remembered seeing him when she entered. Mike just grunted and shrugged.

“Right. Well, in any case, it will help with image. And that’s all that matters,” Rory opened her mouth to interrupt, but was swiftly cut off, “I know, I know. Probably wondering what I am talking about. You’ve heard of a band called One Direction, yeah?”

Rory nodded.

"Are you a, eh, what do they call themselves, Mike? The fans?"

"Directioners."

"Yea! Directioners! Are you a directioners?"

Rory shrugged. She had heard some of their songs on the radio, followed a blog or two on Tumblr, and had a magazine rip out on her wall cause, hell, they were cute. But that was the extent of it. She didn't keep up with their daily activities that some girls did. She decided she wasn't and shook her head.

"Excellent. You have a boyfriend?"

Rory looked down, shaking her head.

"Even better." the suited man stood up and started digging through the file cabinet. "Do you know about the, uhm, conspiracy, called Larry Stylinson?"

Rory had no idea who or what Larry Stylinson was, so she shook her head.

"You are absolutely perfect. Mike, isn't she perfect?"

Mike said nothing.

The man opened up a folder sitting on his desk. Rory's headshot sat on top.

"Not a natural blonde. May need to keep up on bleaching it, then." he moved the picture to the side.

“Rory Smith. You’re eighteen. Good. We have tried the ‘older lady’ thing with him, and it worked for a while. But it’s starting to backlash on us. Ugly press towards him was never our intent. Simply to drive things away from the… well, current situation we have.” The man continued to flip through the file, muttering things to himself as he searched the papers.

“Where do you hope to be, acting wise, in the next five years?”

Rory nodded, then realized he was addressing her.

“Well, sir, I hope to be doing onstage work at reputable companies. Of course, I don’t expect anything large happening soon, but I’m willing to work hard to reach that goal.”  
The man scribbled on a yellow legal pad. "An American?"

"Yeah. I moved to Cambridge when I was seventeen, with my parents. They are professors at the University. I moved here, to London, so i could pursue acting, though."

The man nodded. "I see. I see. That's good."

Rory had no idea what the man was talking about, but he continued writing on his legal pad.

"We've done American before, but only famous. We want down to earth, normal. That sort. She seems down to earth, right Mike?"  
Again, Mike said nothing.

"You're a good man Mike. Anyway, what do you think?"

Rory had no idea what was going on. The man spoke so fast, she had gotten lost along the way. She also had no idea what the job entailed.

“Sir, before I agree to anything, I would like to know what I’m actually doing. My agent said he couldn’t tell me much, and that I’d be filled in here.” Rory shifted in her seat.  
The man looked up from his paper and smiled. “Did Mary have you sign the papers out front?”

“Yes..."

“Well, then, I guess we can fill you in now. But please know, everything in this room is confidential. Anything I tell you in here cannot leave. If you tell anyone, Ms. Martin, and I mean anyone, then we will take you to court. And understand that if we even hear a rumors about you spreading gossip, you will be very, very sorry. Are we clear?"

Rory nodded.

The man leaned back in his chair. “Firstly, you will be working with the band One Direction. Specifically, Harry Styles. Do you know who that is?”  
Rory thought for a moment. “Curly?”

“Yes. Curly. Well, we have been having a sort of complication. You see, he seems to have a sort of relationship with another member of the band. Louis Tomlinson. Do you know which one that is?”  
Rory took a little longer to think this time. “The twink turned punk?"

The man let out a hollow laugh. “I guess that is him, though we are trying to crack down on that. Well, Louis and Harry have been in a relationship of sorts since the beginning days of this band. Of course, we can’t have that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing to do with the gays. We love the gays, right Mike?”

Mike just shrugged.

“See? It’s just, the main fan base is young girls. Obviously, there are many outliers, but the strong support comes from the younger generation. This younger generation likes to believe they are the ones who will marry one of the boys, whether it be Harry or Louis or whatever. The thing is, the boys need to seem at least a bit attainable. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

“Uhm, no. Not really. Don’t, like, half of them have girlfriends already?"

The man stood up and began pacing. “Well, yes. We can’t completely control their love lives. The thing is, with girlfriends, at least the fans still have a chance. At least the boys still like girls. That is what Eleanor is for: to help keep the impression that Louis likes girls. If they only exclusively liked men, then all hope goes out the window for the younger fans, which could become very dangerous in the boys success.”

Rory nodded, slowly, trying to take everything in.

“Now, everything has been good for a while, simply shipping Louis and Eleanor off whenever something to, well, gay, happens between him and Harry. We also set up Harry with a lot of older women, trying to get that womanizer feel. I mean, as long as it helps show he likes girls. However, this has started to do the exact opposite. It’s not only the Larry shippers, but everyone. They don’t like this ‘womanizer Harry.’ They want 'cheeky' Harry.”

The man had taken his seat again, hands entangled together.

“This is where you come in. We want another Eleanor, but this time for Harry. A young girl who isn’t famous, that’s what will work best. Eleanor’s contract ends soon, anyway, so we need atleast one of the boys taken-“

“Wait.” Rory stood suddenly, her turn to pace the room. “You want me to pretend to be Harry’s girlfriend? Like, a beard?”

“Beard? No, no, no. Think of it as acting experience. Twenty-four, seven acting experience. You will be paid. Get free vacation days. Plus, date one of the most sought after boys in the world. Many girls would sign a deal with the devil to be in your spot.”

Rory stopped pacing and stood there, staring at the man. “Did you tell this to my agent?”

“Of course. Who do you think sent us Eleanor?” The man stood and walked to the front of the desk, leaning against it. “He sees great potential in you. It takes a brilliant actress to act not only on stage, but in the real world. All day, every day.”

Rory knew the man was just petting her with his words so she’d say yes, and though she wanted to say no, she couldn’t help but think of the perks. When was the last time she had a decent job? Even she couldn’t remember. The man kept staring at her, his sharp teeth shining.

“What do you say?”

Rory looked at her hands. “What are the specifics?”

The man went to behind his desks and pulled out a stack of papers thicker than most books Rory had read.

“Here is your contract you’d need to sign.”

“I am not signing anything without my agent present.”

The man smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”

Three days later, Rory was in the same office with the same stack of papers on the same desk, the same smile staring over it.

Her agent had been looking over the stack for the past two hours, talking over points with the man in the suit. They only truly got into an argument once, but for the most part, everything seemed to be up to par in the contract. Finally, her agent set the packet down. “This checks out to me. Very good deal, actually. If I were in your shoes, I’d take it.”  
Rory just sat there, unsure what to think. Her agent nudged her. “Seriously. This is a brilliant opportunity.”

“But, I’m not truly acting. I’m just playing pretend.”

“And who says playing pretend isn’t acting? You need to act like this boy’s girlfriend. See? Acting is involved.”  
Rory pursed her lips. “I still don’t see-“

“Do you not remember how much you’ll get paid? The perks? You won’t be a starving actress anymore. You can buy a flat in London and live in comfort without the struggle of going to auditions and constant rejection. We will even give you a shining recommendation if all goes well here.” The suited man shoved the contract towards Rory. “All you need to do is sign.”

The dotted line stared back at Rory. The job was really good. She could eat real food, not cup-o-noodles and sink water. Things could look up in her career. Was it worth it, though? Her acting put into something so, well, menial?

A pen had showed up in her hand somehow and was edging slowly towards the line. She just needed to scribble her name on a piece of paper, and her entire world would change. A deal with the devil.

After Rory left, the man in the suit picked up the paper and smiled, filing it away with the others as he hummed What Makes You Beautiful under his breath.


End file.
